Detroit – “History will remember AFL-CIO President John Sweeney for his soft-spoken heartfelt leadership that bridged the labor movement in the United States during a crucial time in American history. President Sweeney was dealt a tough hand post-NAFTA and sought to modernize organizing, advocacy and mobilization and focus on diversity and inclusion of the modern labor movement. It is these imprints that UAW members and all of labor benefit from today. The UAW sends condolences to brother Sweeney’s family and a heartfelt thanks for the imprint he has made in our worksites and our homes.”
“With the stroke of a pen, the long awaited “new NAFTA” or USMCA is now law. UAW members know far too well that trade agreements have not delivered the job security protections promised. That is why the UAW will be vigilant in monitoring this agreement, its implementation and the overall goal of protecting U.S. jobs and creating more of them. We will be watching. We will be aggressive in pushing for enforcement of provisions. And we are under no illusion that this revised agreement alone will restore America’s middle-class manufacturing base. USMCA will not bring back the hundreds of thousands ...
Read more
Overhauling the North American Free Trade Act may have been a start, but the work has just begun. We will need to be diligent to make sure Mexico fully implements its labor law reforms and puts an end to company unions and sham contracts. We will be there every step of the way to try to ensure all parties to the agreement live up to their part of the bargain. After all, if working conditions truly improve in Mexico, then wages will rise, and companies will be less eager to abandon our country. Only time will tell if revised NAFTA will ...
Read more
Provided final text accurately reflects changes “UAW members have opposed NAFTA since its inception a quarter century ago because they feared it would lead to the closing of countless manufacturing plants throughout our country and the moving of hundreds of thousands of good U.S. jobs to Mexico. Time has unfortunately proven UAW members right and it is for this very reason we welcomed the renegotiation of NAFTA (also known as USMCA) and pushed for more to be done. While the final text of the agreement has not been made available for review, we already know that USMCA Is highly unlikely ...
Read more
The UAW has one goal: support the U.S. worker in all aspects of their professions. That includes involvement in U.S. trade policy decisions where our overarching focus is creating good paying U.S. jobs — now and in the future. Currently, more than 900,000 people work in the auto and auto-parts manufacturing sectors alone. This has a far-reaching economic impact going beyond the shop floor. The Center for Automotive Research estimates that every assembly plant job supports an additional 9 to 12 jobs in the United States. The effect continues into our communities. Automakers, suppliers, dealerships, and the local businesses that ...
Read more
The Potential for Fair Trade in an Essential Industry The North American auto industry remains a powerhouse of advanced manufacturing, innovation and economic activity. Directly responsible for 2 million jobs across North America, the auto industry serves as the anchor for entire supply chains including: auto parts producers, suppliers of raw materials and service providers (1). The economic activity generated by the industry supports local business and public services, as each auto assembly job creates in the range of 9 to 10 other jobs across the economy (2). These are often good jobs with above average wages which for generations ...
Read more
Recently, the Trump administration notified Congress that it plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement — better known as NAFTA — with powerful corporations and some in the president’s administration saying it simply needs to be “modernized.” The U.S. Trade Representative’s office is accepting comments from the public until June 12. It’s important that working people speak up for ourselves now, the same as we did with the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Click here to leave a comment for the U.S. Trade Representative about why a trade deal that takes working people into account is important to you. NAFTA — ...
Read more